Troughed conveyor belt



April 1965 M. J. DE WULF TROUGHED CONVEYOR BELT Filed Feb. 27, 1962 INVENTOR MAURICE J. OEWULF A Harney United States Patent 3,179,239 TROUGHED CONVEYOR BELT Maurice J. De Wolf, Lake ltluif, Ill., assignoito United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 176,008 3.Claims. (Cl. 198201) This invention relates to a troughed conveyor belt and more particularly to a belt formed of coiled wires interconnected by cross wires. One such belt is shown in Blackburn Patent No. 2,278,859 dated April 7, 1942. In this belt the ends of the cross wires are secured to the ends of the coiled wires at the top of the side flanges by an electric weld. Dirt or the product being conveyed can be caught or lodged in the spiral wires at the top of the flanges. Also, since the top of the flange is rough there is danger of a workman being injured by contact therewith.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a troughed conveyor belt having means for preventing material from being caught or lodged in the top. of its side flanges.

This and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan View of a section of a conveyor belt incorporating my invention therein;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the belt of FIG- URE l;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the belt of FIGURE 1 showing it passing around a pulley;

FIGURE 4 is a side view of one flange of the belt showing a second embodiment of my invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a view, similar to FIGURE 4, showing a third embodiment of my invention.

Referring more particularly to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, reference numeral 2 indicates a portion of an endless troughed conveyor belt. The conveyor belt has a flat portion 4 and upwardly turned side flanges 6 and 8, one at each longitudinal edge of the belt. The belt is formed of a plurality of coiled wires 10 and 12 interconnected by cross wires 14. The wires 10 preferably are coiled in the opposite direction from wires 12. The cross wires 14 are bent upwardly as best shown in FIG- URE 3. Part of the cross wires may terminate short of the top edge of the belt as shown with the others extending above the coiled wires 10 and 12.

According to my invention U-shaped clips 16am welded to the top or outer end of at least some of the cross wires 14- with the legs of the clip arranged on opposite sides of the flange and extending downwardly toward the flat portion 4. It will be seen that the clips 16 are arranged in substantially abutting relationship. In FIG- URE 3 the belt is shown passing around a pulley 18. It will be apparent that the clips 16 forming the selvage edge of the belt prevent the product being conveyed from becoming caught or lodged in the belt while at the same time they permit articulation of the belt around the pulleys of the conveyor. This construction also eliminates the need of attaching the spiral wires to the cross wires as in the Blackburn patent.

The belt of FIGURE 4 has the same construction as that of FIGURE 1 and the same reference numerals are used to indicate corresponding parts. In this embodiment The arrangements shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 are preferably used where there is danger of the conveyed product being caught between the ends of the clip.

While several embodiments of my invention have been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A conveyor belt comprising a flat portion and a flange at each longitudinal edge of said flat portion, said belt being formed of coiled wires interconnected by cross wires, at least some of said cross wires being U-shaped with the legs of the U extending to the outer end of each flange, and a plurality of relatively short U-shaped clips attached to the outer end of each flange with the legs of the clips arranged on opposite sides of the associated flange and extending toward said flat portion, the clips on each flange being arranged in substantial abutting relationship along the length of the flange. r

2. A conveyor belt comprising a flat portion and a flange at each longitudinal edge of said flat portion, said belt being formed of coiled wires interconnected by cross wires, at least some of said cross wires being U-shaped with the legs of the U extending to the outer end of each flange, and a plurality of relatively short U-shaped clips attached to the outer end of each flange with the legs of the clips arranged on opposite sides of the associated flange and extending toward said flat portion, the clips on each flange being arranged with their ends in overlapping relationship along the length of the flange.

3. A conveyor belt comprising a flat portion and a flange at each longitudinal edge of said flat portion, said belt being formed of coiled wires interconnected by cross wires, at least some of said cross wires being U-shaped with the legs of the U extending to the outer end of. each flange, and a plurality of relatively short U-shaped clips References tilted by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 203,825 5/73 Healey l98201 551,509 12/95 Paul 198195 1,773,321 8/30 Schaftner 198-193 1,828,836 10/31 Fahrenwald 198195 2,278,859 4/42 Blackburn l98201 SAMUEL F..COLEMAN, Acting Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM B. LA BORDE, ERNEST A. FALLER, JR., Examiners. 

1. A CONVEYOR BELT COMPRISING A FLAT PORTION AND A FLANGE AT EACH LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID FLAT PORTION, SAID BELT BEING FORMED OF COILED WIRES INTERCONNECTED BY CROSS WIRES, AT LEAST SOME OF SAID CROSS WIRES BEING U-SHAPED WITH THE LEGS OF THE U EXTENDING TO THE OUTER END OF EACH FLANGE, AND A PLURALITY OF RELATIVELY SHORT U-SHAPED CLIPS ATTACHED TO THE OUTER END OF EACH FLANGE WITH THE LEGS OF THE CLIPS ARRANGED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE ASSOCIATED FLANGE AND EXTENDING TOWARD SAID FLAT PORTION, THE CLIPS ON EACH FLANGE BEING ARRANGED IN SUBSTANTIALLY ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE FLANGE. 